Cocaine smuggling network smashed, Quebec police say
Alleged drug ring operated in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.
Last Updated: Thursday, November 20, 2008 | 10:44 AM ET
CBC News
Quebec provincial police say they and other Canadian authorities have brought down a cocaine-smuggling network that transported the drug from Vancouver to Quebec.
Police have arrested 46 people and hope to track down more suspects wanted in connection with an alleged cocaine-trafficking ring which officials say was operating in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
Authorities carried out several raids Thursday morning, arresting suspects in Quebec's Laurentians, Abitibi and Outaouais regions.
The arrests made a big dent in the operation, said Quebec provincial police Sgt. Martine Isabelle.
"On an annual [basis], this organization imported several hundred kilograms of cocaine" from Mexico via the U.S. west coast to Vancouver, for distribution across the country, Isabelle told CBC News.
The cocaine was then transported to Quebec where it was stored for a while and then distributed in various regions of the province.
Suspects who were arrested Thursday will appear in court in Montreal and Hull, to face charges of drug possession, drug trafficking and gangsterism.
The RCMP, Quebec revenue authorities and the Ottawa and Gatineau police departments also took part in the operation.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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